Combat Finals
The high (or low, depending on your viewpoint) point of the Fall and Spring terms is the Combat Finals. These are done in two sections: Freshmen and Sophomores are the first week, followed by Juniors and Seniors the second week. Academic finals alternate. Finals for each term have a specific theme. For Spring 2006, the theme was "rescue a person from a lake full of man-eating fish."Word of God from Diane about Spring 2006 For Fall 2006, it was "disable the infernal device in the city." Students are paired (mostly) randomly, and only one can get to the device and take the 30 or so seconds to disable it (enter their information and answer a couple of questions) without the other student interfering. Grades are assigned on how well they did against a set list of criteria, such as taking the initiative and avoiding collateral damage, as well as the relative capabilities of each student. This means that a low-powered student can "lose" and still get a high mark if he performed better than expected under the circumstances, or a high-powered student can get a low grade even after winning, if she performed poorly. Most pairings are random. Some aren't, for reasons either of safety or to teach a lesson. Then there's the Crash where one or two teams are selected for high profile tests. In Crash tests anything goes. The opponent may be another student, but it may just as well be a Junior, Senior, an instructor, a team or (gasp) the Dragonslayers simulation. The Combat Final is not optional - it does not matter whether the student is taking combat classes, the Survival sequence or just a regular Gym class. However, there are a few (very few) circumstances that will sometimes allow the student to postpone or avoid entirely the Combat Finals, such as health issues or significant power changes close to the Finals. Freshmen are usually not told about the Combat Final until a couple of weeks before class. This can sometimes result in a rush to create a costume, since costumes (or at least a disguise) are an absolute requirement for Arena 99. Fall 2006 matchups Known winners are in bold. The absence of bold may mean that the result of the match is unknown, or that it was a draw. If the student's grade is known, it's supplied in parenthesis after the codename. Kismet vs. BogusJade 8 - Exams Shroud vs. Tisiphone Aquerna (A-) vs. Buster (F) Never Look a Gift Squirrel in the Mouth Fractious © vs. Stopwatch (A-) Stress Fracture Loophole (B-) vs. SizzleGearhead Chaka (B) vs. Silo, Nephandus, and Bravo Thuban vs. Slab Generator (B) vs. Electrode Phase (A) vs. BelphegorAyla and the Grinch Bladedancer vs. Nex Gateway (A) vs. Golden Girl Reach vs. BroncoThe Big Idea Iron Star vs. Spark Tennyo (B) vs. Zombie Attack!!! Fey vs. Mule Heyoka vs. Cerebrex Razorback vs. Jimmy T Eldritch vs. Lancer and Hippolyta Carmilla vs. Jericho Diamondback and Hekate vs. Dragonslayers Punch vs. Jobe Bunker vs. GlassCall The Thunder: Chapter 5 – Idiots 'R Us She-Beast (B) vs. Zhong Lau © Timeless vs. Bluejay Olympia (F) vs. Hardcase © References Category:Classes and the School Year